Long Hard Ride (29 page)

Long Hard Ride

He simply said, “Again. Another reminder so you don’t forget.”

Colby had taken her at her word; they’d fucked it out. He fucked her until the pleasure was too much, until her body shuddered and quaked, until her brain overloaded on bliss and she passed out in his arms.

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Lorelei James

Chapter Twenty

Channing woke up. Naked. She rolled over and groaned.

Colby’s side of the bed was rumpled and empty, except for the ticket on the pillow and a note, which read:

Today, we talk it out. C U after the perf. Love, CWM

She glanced down her nude body, expecting another set of his marks of passion. She saw none. They were all internal. Mental. But definitely permanent.

After a quick shower she gathered her stuff and headed for Gemma’s campsite. She opened the door and a swell of heat blasted her. It’d be blistering hot in Cheyenne today.

As she turned around, Channing bumped into Carson McKay, who wasn’t exactly thrilled to see her sneaking out of Colby’s room.

“Umm. Morning, Mr. McKay.”

His eyes narrowed to pinpoints. “Hey. I know you. You’re that friend of Gemma Jansen. A
friend
of Colby’s, too.” Carson gave her a once-over.

“You mind tellin’ me what you’re doin’ slinkin’ out of my son’s room?”

Her first thought was to lie.

Carson stared her down. Letting his gaze wander to the love bites on her neck Colby had given her that hadn’t faded yet. Judging her.

Appearing to find her lacking. Just like her own father. Just like everyone else in her old life.

Her back snapped straight. “Your son invited me into his room. You can ask him what we were doing, but since he’s a gentleman, I doubt he’ll kiss and tell.”

No response from Colby’s father. Just another cold hard stare.

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“You’re wastin’ your time with him. I know my son. He ain’t—”

“Maybe you don’t know your son as well as you think. And if he chooses to waste his time with me, then I don’t see how it is any of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Somehow she managed to walk away instead of running like a scared rabbit.

Gemma’s trailer was empty. Channing had a few hours to kill before the rodeo started so she wandered through the vendor stands and the midway. She cruised through the gift shop. Studied the bronze statue of the late Lane Frost for a long time. A reminder that even the best athletes in the world succumbed to forces beyond their control.

Frontier Park was huge, the biggest outdoor rodeo arena in the world.

After the Air Force paratroopers sailed in, and the state rodeo queens in attendance were announced, and a barbershop quartet from Riverton belted out “The Star Spangled Banner”, it was time to rodeo.

With so many competitors at Frontier Days Rodeo, the individual events were spread out, instead of all the events running one after the other like at other venues. Rough stock riding was interspersed with timed events. Colby ate dirt on his saddle bronc ride. He posted a decent score of 4.5 in tie-down roping. Unlike other rodeos where bull riding was always last, here they were sprinkled throughout the afternoon.

As she waited, she began to wonder just what his plans were for later. Anticipation made her heart race and she almost missed his name being called.

The bull, Nobody’s Business, hadn’t been ridden in twelve outs.

Channing perched on the edge of her seat, expecting a good match up.

The chute opened to the roar of the crowd. Colby looked spectacular as he rode, synchronized to the bull’s movements like he’d ridden him every day. The buzzer sounded. He’d made it the full eight seconds.

For some reason instead of watching the first instant replay on the big screens, she kept her gaze on Colby. He’d gotten hung up. Not his hand in his bullrope, but his spur was twisted around the flank strap.

The bull fighters were trying to get him loose, but the bull hopped and jumped. The next scene seemed to happen in slow motion, Colby’s www.samhainpublishing.com 229

Lorelei James

body sliding under the bull when the bull lunged sideways. Both the bull’s back legs came down on Colby’s left thigh. Then the bull hooked Colby’s vest and tossed him in the air.

The crowd gasped.

Channing leapt to her feet.

Even in the upper tier of the grandstands she could hear one bull fighter screaming for the sports medicine team, while the others chased the bull away. Colby’s leg was bent at an odd angle and he was prone on the dirt.

A dozen people milled around on the arena floor. It wasn’t long before the far gate opened and an ambulance zoomed in, kicking up dust. Colby was loaded on a stretcher, shuttled in the back end of the ambulance and whisked out amidst wailing sirens and nearly complete silence in the arena.

Stunned, she just stared at the churned up patches of dirt where Colby had fallen. How long she stayed motionless, she didn’t know.

Finally, people behind her yelled, “Sit down!”

She made her deadened body move and she exited the stands in a daze.

Channing had no idea where they’d taken him. She knew if she tried to sneak back in the contestants’ area without a pass, she’d get escorted out by security. She wandered along the fence—for how long, she didn’t know. Someone shouted her name.

She whirled around and saw Cash barreling toward her. He grabbed her in a bear hug. “Have you heard anything about what happened to him?”

Channing shook her head.

“You saw it, right?”

She nodded.

“Okay. The bull landed on his leg and broke the femur in his left thigh. A bone fragment caused a rupture in his femoral artery. Very serious stuff. I ain’t gonna lie, Channing; it is life threatenin’, so they 230

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Long Hard Ride

rushed him to emergency surgery. They also were talkin’ about a collapsed lung where the bull hooked him.”

“Omigod.” She was glad Cash held her upright because her knees gave out.

“His family is already gone. I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

The truth hit her and she began to shake harder. “Cash, his family isn’t going to want me there. They don’t even know about me.”

Cash placed a gentle hand on her cheek. “It don’t matter if they want you there, Channing.
Colby
will want you there.”

She nodded and ducked her head to hide her tears.

“Cash!”

Gemma ran up, out of breath. “What are you doing out here? You’re up in about five minutes. They’re looking for you behind the chutes.”

“I’m gonna have to forfeit this go. I’m driving Channing to the hospital.”

“I’ll take her.” Gemma’s arm circled Channing’s shoulders. “Colby would be pissed if you didn’t ride on account of him. So get back there and cover that bull. Meet us there later.”

Cash nodded and reluctantly trotted off.

Channing was absolutely numb. She let Gemma lead her into the parking area. The heat from the blacktop nearly scorched her lungs. She didn’t remember anything about the ride to the hospital, as she was too busy praying that Colby would still be alive when she got there.

Eight excruciating hours later the surgeons gave the news to the family. The doctors had stopped the hemorrhaging, which was their first concern. Then they’d fixed his collapsed lung. After that, they began surgery on his leg and inserted an intramedullary rod down the center of Colby’s thighbone.

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Colby was in intensive care in stable condition. With physical therapy he’d walk again. Even ride a horse. But the doctor’s prognosis for Colby continuing his rodeo career even part-time wasn’t good. Colby had a long road of therapy ahead of him. Months.

Channing heard all of this information secondhand from Trevor and Edgard. And Gemma. And Cash. She’d hidden herself away in a tiny lounge off the main family waiting area. Not wanting to intrude on the McKays. For her own self-preservation she would not insert herself in a situation already rife with trauma.

For all those hours Colby was in surgery, she’d paced. Worrying.

Wondering. When she’d received the news he’d pulled through, she’d curled into a ball and wept. Colby was alive. That was all that mattered.

“Channing?”

She looked up when Gemma plopped beside her on the dilapidated loveseat but she couldn’t muster a smile. “Yeah?”

“It’s been hours. You want something to eat?”

“No. I’d just throw it up. Thanks, though.”

“Okay. That’s fine. How long do you want to stay here?”

“Until I can see him. Let me rephrase that. Until I can see him in private. Without me having to explain who I am to his family.” Not that
she
knew who she was to Colby.

His words
mine mine mine
echoed in her head.

But what did that mean?

“You realize that might not be for a day or two. The McKays have all but circled the wagons ‘round him. Cord, Colton and Carter will all be here tomorrow.”

Crap.

Gemma frowned. “Why do you say that?”

Channing wasn’t aware she’d muttered the word aloud. “Because me sticking around wasn’t part of our arrangement. Colby and I had always planned to part ways after Cheyenne. Now is just as good a time as any for me to leave.”

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Gemma’s eyes froze into chips of ice. “You’re just gonna take off like nothing’s happened? Like it don’t matter he’s laying unconscious and beat up and practically dead in a hospital bed?”

Channing winced at Gemma’s hard slap of words. “No. But maybe you’d like to give me a chance to explain myself before you go jumping to conclusions.”

“Fine. I’m listening. But even you gotta admit things are different now.”

“Yeah, they’re probably worse, Gem.” Channing leaned against the concrete wall and resisted beating her head into it. She closed her eyes.

“How long is Colby going to be in the hospital? A week? Two? When he’s well enough to leave, he’ll have to return home to the ranch because he won’t be able to take care of himself. His family will expect to do that, as they should. You really think they’ll want me—a strange woman from the East Coast—around?

“Do you think
Colby
will want me underfoot? God. When he was injured in Greeley he’d get all pissy whenever I fussed around him. The man is stubborn. And proud. He didn’t want me to see him as weak so he took chances he shouldn’t have. That injury wasn’t nearly as serious as this one is. He’ll have
months
of physical therapy,
months
of being dependent on others. So if I drop everything in my life and move to Wyoming to help take care of him, he’ll resent me. I know he will. I couldn’t stand that, Gemma. He’s too important to me.” Her voice broke.

Gemma pressed Channing’s head to her shoulder and let her cry.

When the worst of the jag was over, Gemma smoothed the hair from Channing’s damp cheek. “You know, I’d like to argue with you and say you’re wrong, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re exactly right.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

“Me too.” Gemma handed her another Kleenex. “I’m sorry I was hard on you.”

“That’s what friends do, Gem.”

They stayed locked in silence for a while. Gemma sighed and scooted away. “So what are
you
gonna do, girlie?”

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Lorelei James

“Same thing I’ve been doing, I guess. Hide out until Colby’s family leaves and then I’ll sneak in to see him. After that, I have some things to deal with at home that I’ve been putting off.”

“You gonna stay there? Back on the coast where your folks live?”

Probably not. “I don’t know.”

“Remember, my door is always open. If things don’t work out for you with your family or your job, look me up. I can always use another set of hands to muck out horse stalls. The company would be nice too, Chan.

I’m gonna miss you.”

Channing actually smiled for the first time in hours. “Thanks.”

“No problem. This whole situation sucks all the way around.” Gemma stood. “Call my cell when you’re done here and I’ll come get you and take you to the airport.”

Channing nodded.

Hours passed. Trevor, Cash, Edgard and several other cowboys on the circuit came and went. She watched from the shadows at end of the corridor. No one paid any attention to her. She’d spent her whole life blending into the background and she was damn good at it.

Around five a.m. Channing was jostled awake. She blinked up into Keely McKay’s curious blue eyes.

“Channing, right? Gemma told me to keep an eye on you. My folks are gone. Colby isn’t awake, but he is alone if you want to see him.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The room was small and filled with a medicinal stench. A ghostly sound of Colby’s breathing apparatus echoed, as well as the constant
beep
beep
of the machines keeping him alive.

Channing bit her tongue hard to stop a gasp from escaping.

His leg was in a cast. Most of the rest of his body was covered up with blankets. He had tubes in both arms. He didn’t look frail; he looked…like a wounded warrior.

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She approached the side of Colby’s bed, curling her fingers around the metal railing. Her tears fell. “Oh, cowboy. Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

No response.

She brushed her fingertips across the scraped-up knuckles on his hand and studied his unconscious face for the longest time, hoping for a sign of some kind.

Increased activity in the hallway signaled it was time for her to go.

Channing kissed his forehead and moved her lips to his ear. “Get better soon. When you’re back on your feet, cowboy, come looking for me because I’ll be waiting. No matter where I am or what I’m doing I’ll be waiting for you. For as long as it takes. And I’ll say the words you were so hell bent on hearing from me last night. I love you, Colby McKay. Don’t you ever forget it. I’ll say it again. I love you.”